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Home Method Slow Cooker Crockpot Freezer Meals
5
/5
6 hours 30 minutes

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chicken Curry (Freezer to Crock Pot)

Dairy Free Dairy-Free Gluten Free Gluten Free Nut Free Nut Free Freezer Friendly Freezer Meal Prep Meal Prep
Jump to Recipe
By: Denise Bustard32 Comments
Posted: 4/27/17 Updated: 8/28/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chicken Curry can be assembled ahead and stashed in the freezer for an easy, flavor-packed dinner. When you're ready to serve, thaw and dump in the slow cooker and you're ready to go!

Hands holding a white bowl filled with the Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chicken Curry and white rice

Things I forgot about pregnancy:

That feeling you get at the end of the day when you finally get to crawl in bed...the whole world stops, your bed seems to 'hug' you, and you let out a big 'aaaaaah'. Best feeling of the whole day!

The way you can go from perfectly fine to a hangry crazy person who NEEDS. FOOD. NOW!!! I learned I can never leave the house without a granola bar.

Those cravings. They become like an obsession where you need to have nachos/fettuccine alfredo/pizza/insert-unhealthy-carb-of-choice-here, and you won't be able to rest until you have them. And when you finally get your craving, it tastes like the BEST thing you've ever eaten (even if it's from the freezer aisle of the grocery store).

My cravings have been so unhealthy, but now I'm emerging from the morning sickness/survival stage, I'm happily craving and eating much healthier food that's better for me and the baby. This slow cooker sweet potato chicken curry was one of my cravings, and I happily ate every bite right up.

Large saute pan cooking with chopped onions and spices

Freezer bag standing upright filled with raw ingredients for the Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chicken Curry

I've been working hard to come up with some meal prep dinner recipes, and this is my second freezer to crock pot recipe. Check out this Healthy Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili (Freezer to Crock Pot)!

This is another recipe I photographed back in February and I'm happy to be sharing it with you finally! It started out as a variation of the Ymir Curry from the Whitewater Cooks (awesome cookbook BTW!), but I was looking for a recipe that doesn't include lemongrass, galangal root, or kaffir lime leaves, because I want my recipes to be made with ingredients accessible to everyone.

So I experimented and after 3-4 batches, ended up with this delicious and SUPER flavorful curry, made with stuff you should easily be able to find in your store.

Freezer bag labeled with directions and ingredients for the Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chicken Curry

Sweet Potato Chicken Curry in slow cooker before cooking

Here's my warning to you. WARNING: this slow cooker sweet potato chicken curry is on the sweet side! (It's not JUST sweet, it has all those beautiful contrasting curry flavors: savory, spicy, sour, and all those delicious spices).

Personally, I love a sweeter curry. But if that's not your preference, this is not the recipe for you. As the sweet potato cooks, it breaks down a bit, thickening the sauce and sweetening it too.

Some suggestions to reduce the sweetness: swap some or all of the sweet potatoes with red potatoes. Or omit the brown sugar.

Sweet Potato Chicken Curry in slow cooker after cooking

So. The thing about this curry is that you do need to make a 'flavor base' before freezing or throwing in the slow cooker. I love recipes that you can dump straight into the slow cooker without pre-cooking, but unfortunately that just doesn't give the same flavor for this recipe.

The flavor base= onions + garlic, ginger, and allllll of the spices in this recipe, sauteed together to make the most deeeelicious base to your recipe. It takes a total of 10 minutes, so it's not really too much effort, and you will be rewarded with some serious flavor!

And the best part: it's freezer-friendly! You can assemble all of your ingredients (minus the chicken stock), and freeze them for up to 3 months before thawing and dumping in the slow cooker. I was worried about freezing the raw sweet potatoes, and they browned a tiny bit, but after 4 hours in the slow cooker, I wouldn't have guessed in a million years that the whole thing had been frozen.

Tips for your perfect slow cooker sweet potato chicken curry

  • reduce the sweetness: omit the brown sugar and swap half (or all) sweet potatoes with red potatoes
  • make it vegetarian! Omit the chicken thighs, and use one or two 19 oz cans of chickpeas (add after curry has cooked through).
  • add some extra veggies an hour before serving: snap peas, sliced bell peppers, cauliflower florets, etc

Equipment and ingredients

  • here's the slow cooker I use
  • I love these handy Jokari baggie holders
  • and these gallon freezer bags
  • I love this red curry paste

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

plate of chicken and sweet potato curry with white rice

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chicken Curry (Freezer to Crock Pot)

5 from 5 votes
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 6 hrs
Total Time: 6 hrs 30 mins
Print Rate
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chicken Curry can be assembled ahead and stashed in the freezer for an easy, flavor-packed dinner.  When you're ready to serve, thaw and dump in the slow cooker and you're ready to go!
8

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 cup onions minced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoons turmeric
  • ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs roughly 9
  • 4 cups sweet potato cut into 2-inch cubes 1 large sweet potato
  • 3 carrots peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 cups chicken stock

After cooking

  • 4 large handfuls of spinach or baby kale
  • 400 mL coconut milk full fat
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice

Instructions 

  • Heat oil over medium heat in a medium pan.
  • Add onions and brown sugar and sautee until onions are cooked through, around 5 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant and soft.
  • Add the curry paste, peanut butter, garam masala, cumin, turmeric and salt. Stir to coat onions and toast spices for 2 or so minutes.
  • Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  • To cook right away:Transfer the onions to the base of a 5 quart slow cooker along with the chicken, sweet potatoes, carrots, fish sauce and chicken stock.
  • Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours, until sweet potatoes are cooked through.
  • Stir in the spinach/kale, lime juice and coconut milk, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Serve over rice or with naan bread.
  • To assemble ahead:In an 8-cup storage container or a quart-sized heavy duty freezer bag, add the chicken, sweet potatoes and onion/spice mixture.
  • Seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Thaw completely before cooking. Add thawed mixture to the slow cooker and stir in 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 tablespoons fish sauce.
  • Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours, until sweet potatoes are cooked through.
  • Stir in the spinach/kale, lime juice and coconut milk, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Serve over rice or with naan bread.

Tips:

This curry is medium-spicy (this will depend on your curry paste).
The sweet potatoes are fall-apart tender and dissolve a bit into the sauce.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/8 batch, Calories: 322kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 821mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g
Author: Denise Bustard
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

Read more...

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Recipe Rating




  1. Eideh says

    Posted on 12/19/21 at Posted on 12/19/21

    This looks amazing. Do I need to peel the sweet potatoes? We usually leave peel on.

    Reply
    • Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says

      Posted on 1/3/22 at Posted on 1/3/22

      Hi Eideh, for this recipe you can leave the peel on - they should get very tender after slow cooking for 6 hours. We hope you enjoy, please report back to let us know how it turns out if you make this recipe!

      Reply
  2. Molly says

    Posted on 8/21/20 at Posted on 8/21/20

    Hi! Could this be freezed successfully after being cooked?

    Reply
    • Denise Bustard says

      Posted on 8/24/20 at Posted on 8/24/20

      Hi Molly! Yes, this freeze/thaws great. You can either portion out single portions with rice, or you can freeze in a meal prep container or jar for up to 3 months.

      Reply
  3. Rosemary says

    Posted on 3/4/20 at Posted on 3/4/20

    5 stars
    I can't believe how great this came out! A lot of my crock pot stuff has been hit or miss lately (I'm an EMT and work long late shifts) but this 2was increasingly tasty! I forgot to put the kale in during the last step but this is definitely going into my rotation!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 3/23/20 at Posted on 3/23/20

      I'm so happy to hear this, Rosemary! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review. And stay safe, we are so grateful and thankful for our EMT and healthcare workers <3 <3

      Reply
  4. Arielle says

    Posted on 12/30/19 at Posted on 12/30/19

    5 stars
    I made this and froze it a month ago before baby #2 arrived. He came 10 days ago and I thawed this out and put it in my foodi last night. I fell asleep and woke up, had a bowl at 2 am. It was soooooo good! I didn't even add the coconut milk. I'll add some for lunch today or maybe just add a little butter for creaminess/fat.

    This will easily be made again or made as a freezer meal again.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 1/14/20 at Posted on 1/14/20

      Yay! So happy to hear this and congratulations on your new baby!

      Reply
  5. Aubrey says

    Posted on 5/14/19 at Posted on 5/14/19

    I"m allergic to Coconut so is there a substitute I can do for the Coconut milk?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 5/16/19 at Posted on 5/16/19

      Hi Aubrey! I can't think of a substitute off the top of my head. You could try stirring in some cream at the end of the cook time, but I don't know if the flavor will be the same. Let me know if you give it a try!

      Reply
    • Elizabeth DiSabato says

      Posted on 6/22/19 at Posted on 6/22/19

      I would try stirring in butter. It will add the creamy/fattiness of the coconut milk. It will be a bit more like butter chicken, but still tasty. Try a quarter cup.

      Reply
    • Bob Morton says

      Posted on 9/18/19 at Posted on 9/18/19

      Try using almond milk. Sad to lose the delicious coconut flavor, but almonds are nice too.

      Reply
  6. Gueniviere says

    Posted on 6/25/18 at Posted on 6/25/18

    I’m making this now in my instapot it smells delicious I’ve never made a curry with peanut butter in it so I hope it’s as yummy as it smells

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 6/26/18 at Posted on 6/26/18

      I hope you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  7. Sara says

    Posted on 5/7/18 at Posted on 5/7/18

    this recipe looks great and plan to try it out for tonight! . . this may sound like a silly question but I have a Kaffir lime tree and am excited to use the leaves in something . Do you think the kaffir leaves could be substituted for the lime juice? if so how much ?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 5/7/18 at Posted on 5/7/18

      Hi Sara! I am so jealous of your lime tree! Lime leaves are awesome in curries. I would do 2-3 leaves and have a taste after it's done cooking. If it seems like it's missing something, you could try adding some fresh lime juice as well. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  8. Cherie says

    Posted on 4/24/18 at Posted on 4/24/18

    Will this recipe work with Beef?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 4/26/18 at Posted on 4/26/18

      Hi Cherie! I haven't tried it but I don't see why it wouldn't work. If you are using cubed beef the cook time should be similar to chicken thighs. Let me know if you try it!

      Reply
  9. Tara says

    Posted on 3/31/18 at Posted on 3/31/18

    As much as I try, I really don’t love chicken thighs. Would breasts dry out in this? I don’t cook in crock pot often but trying to start for meal prep - is there a recommended cook time if I switched to breasts? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 3/31/18 at Posted on 3/31/18

      Hi Tara! You could definitely use chicken breasts in this. I find bone-in chicken breasts stay the most moist in slow cooker recipes, but if you do use boneless skinless, I would cook on low for 4-6 hours. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
      • Shenelle says

        Posted on 2/9/19 at Posted on 2/9/19

        I love the bone-in chicken breast idea but how many chicken breasts would I need for this recipe??

        Reply
        • Denise says

          Posted on 2/11/19 at Posted on 2/11/19

          Hi Shenelle, I would go for about 1 1/2 lbs. I rarely cook with bone-in chicken breasts, so I can't say how many this would be...maybe 3? Make sure they have the skin off or your curry will end up very greasy.

          Reply
  10. Abby says

    Posted on 1/7/18 at Posted on 1/7/18

    This recipe was absolutely wonderful. Definitely the best thing I ate in 2018 thus far. I skipped the sugar like the above commenter and it was so delicious. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 1/8/18 at Posted on 1/8/18

      WOW! What an amazing compliment, thanks so much for reporting back, Abby 😀

      Reply
  11. Lynda says

    Posted on 11/11/17 at Posted on 11/11/17

    Made this tonight and it was delicious!! I left out the brown sugar based on your recommendation and I thought it turned out great! Thanks so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/14/17 at Posted on 11/14/17

      Hi Lynda! So glad you enjoyed it. I have a batch in my freezer and can't wait to dig in.

      Reply
  12. Sarah Campbell says

    Posted on 8/7/17 at Posted on 8/7/17

    Hi! When freezing, I imagine you still cook up the onion spice mix before putting it in the freezer bag? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 8/8/17 at Posted on 8/8/17

      Yes! Sorry if that wasn't clear. I will re-word the recipe 🙂

      Reply
  13. Brenda says

    Posted on 4/27/17 at Posted on 4/27/17

    Can I leave the fish sauce out the freezer to crock pot chicken curry? Don't like the taste or smell fish sauce gives any dish and it puts me off.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 4/27/17 at Posted on 4/27/17

      Hi Brenda! I've only tried it as written. If you leave out the fish sauce, taste it before serving...if you think it needs a little more 'savory/salty/umami' flavor, try adding some soy sauce. I think it will still be tasty without. Let me know if you try it!

      Reply
  14. Annie says

    Posted on 4/27/17 at Posted on 4/27/17

    This looks delicious! I love that it's freezer to crock pot! So quick and easy for busy weeknights!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 4/27/17 at Posted on 4/27/17

      Thanks Annie! Super duper convenient 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Denise

Meal prep took me from feeling constantly stressed out about meals to cool, collected and in control. I want to share this amazing and transformational habit with you, so you can feel in control, too! Read more ...

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